President Donald Trump’s sweeping makeover of the White House continued Thursday as images emerged of massive tarps being draped over the columns of the famous North Portico entrance. The new coverings on the building’s façade, held up by scaffolding, are printed with images of the columns underneath.
Details of the Renovation
The White House hasn’t announced details on what is being done. But it’s understood Interior Secretary Doug Bergum was talking about the project when he appeared on the podcast of Katie Miller, wife of top Trump aide Stephen Miller, earlier this week. Bergum said Trump complained about “door dings” in the columns when greeting world leaders, and builders will carry out “historic renovation work.”
On Monday, Trump referred to work being done on the White House columns as he surveyed his remodeling of the People’s House, saying, “we’ve taken about 150 years of paint off of the columns.” “If you don’t strip the paint off, it gets worse and worse and worse,” the president added.
Ongoing Construction Projects
Since returning to office, Trump has overseen a White House construction blitz, including demolishing the East Wing to make way for a huge ballroom, which is set to cost $600 million, with taxpayers paying roughly half of the bill. Earlier this week, Trump confirmed he’s building a granite helipad for Marine One on the White House lawn, which he said would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million.
Trump said he told builders to “do a beauty,” and suggested granite would be preferable to painted concrete. “You’re landing on granite, which is the strongest stone,” the president said, noting that the space could also be used for outdoor White House press conferences.
Previous Projects
One of his first White House projects since his re-election was the installation of giant flagpoles. “It’s such a beautiful pole,” Trump said when the first went up last summer. They are the same as one at his Doral golf resort in Miami, Florida.
